The Diseased Turnabout
by Nr36
Summary: Being an attorney is hard enough, and generally doesn't involve smallpox scares or finding one of your fans dead on the sidewalk. Takes place after PW: JFA.
1. On Fire

NOTE: This story is the third in my first iteration of Phoenix Wright fanfictions. Read the others first if you desire, but this story could be read on its own.

October 7, 11:00 A.M. Kennedy Space Center

Phoenix moved his binoculars towards the rocket. Maya and Pearl were also jumping with joy. Pearl was especially excited, as she liked rockets. As hydrazine vented from the engines, Maya centered her camera towards the point of interest, waiting for the launch to begin.

She yelled, "Nick, are you excited?" Phoenix replied, "Yes, of course! I like seeing things go sky high!"

The PA system began to describe processes that the rocket was going through before the launch. Finally, the message came on the intercom that everyone had been waiting for.

"T-minus 15 seconds," it said.

Pearl screamed, "Mr. Nick, all systems are go!"

The intercom continued, "T-minus 10."

There was a click as the engines warmed up. "9...8...7...6...We have a go for main engine start."

The engines then ignited. There was a violent roar and smoke was blown out of the engines at high speed.

The intercom burst, "5...4...3...2...1...Ignition!"

The boosters activated and the rocket flew into the sky. Pearl cheered along with the thousands of others attending the launch. Maya shifted position to get the rocket launch on camera. The rocket flew higher into the clear sky.

The intercom then announced, "The rocket is currently experiencing maximum dynamic pressure; the engines will slow down to 65% thrust."

A message then declared, "The rocket is now throttling up to 104%."

The rocket passed out if sight for a second, but Maya managed to keep the camera still. It was then visible again. A massive explosive noise filled the air.  
Suddenly, the rocket disappeared into a yellow cloud, and then it vanished. Pieces of debris fell down from the sky.

The intercom blared, "We have an anomaly; flight ended at 45.432 seconds."

Maya kept the camera on and filmed the falling pieces of rocket. However, as the pieces dropped lower, she shut it off, as there was no point in keeping it on if the pieces are hard to see.

After the rocket's fragments had fallen into the ocean, Pearl noted, "Good thing no one was hurt! Right, Mystic Maya?"

There was no answer.

She said again, "Mystic Maya?"

She then saw Maya under a large piece of material. Pearl pushed it off. Maya had passed out, and had been bruised up pretty badly.

"MYSTIC MAYA!", Pearl sobbed.

Her tears cascaded on to the ground.

The paramedics came over and assessed her injuries.

One man said, "She's gonna be all right. She was just hit by a piece of debris. However, she'll need a one day hospital stay for observation."

The three got into an ambulance and headed off the the hospital.  
Maya was out on a stretcher and wheeled into the ICU. An IV line was started, and she was cleaned up. They did not put her in a gown, however, as Pearl prevented them from doing so.

As Maya sat there, the minutes ticked away. Phoenix became worried that they would have to use drugs to wake her up. Phoenix just plain hated having to look at her ravaged face. She had a black eye and a bruised face. Her eyelids were swollen and she looked miserable.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she opened her eyes.

She asked, "Nick...what happened to me?"

Phoenix stuttered, "You were hit by a piece of flying debris from the explosion."

Suddenly, a doctor entered the room and said, "Mr. Wright, your attention please?"

He said, "What now, doctor? Is she deathly ill?"

He shook and said, "No, I'm afraid not, but please look at this."

Phoenix placed the chart in his hands and asked, "What is so abnormal about this?"

The doctor answered, "Mr. Wright, the wreckage that fell on Maya, as well as some other wreckage that we found, was contaminated with Variola major."

"Excuse me?", Phoenix asked in confusion.

The doctor replied, "Variola major causes smallpox."

Phoenix screamed, "Smallpox?! I though smallpox was eradicated in 1980!"

He said, "Yes, but the virus still exists. It appears that someone contaminated the rocket with the intention to cause a biological attack."

Maya screamed, "Smallpox?! The last time I heard about smallpox was when my ancestor, Ami Fey, caught it in 1725."

Pearl asked, "What's smaul-paux, Mr. Nick?

Phoenix replied, "Well, smallpox is sort of like chickenpox, but it clusters sores on your face and body much more, and is much more painful. It can kill."

Pearl questioned, "Well, does Mystic Maya have smallpox?"

The doctor answered, "No. She doesn't. It is just that the debris recovered had traces of the virus."

Phoenix asked, "Well, I have been wondering why only women can channel dead people."

The doctor respectfully noted, "Well, today's your lucky day! Time to find out!"

He pulled down a human body chart and pointed to the brain.

"When a spirit is being channeled, the brain secretes chemicals called neurophotons. These travel through the bloodstream into the liver, where they are metabolized into antineurophotons. They then travel back to the brain, where they cause the body to externally change that of the spirit's, but sparing hair style and color. The reason that only women can channel is that a woman's brain produces nearly 243 times as many neurophotons as men's do. It takes an average of 120 grams of antineurophoton material to cause the channeling, but men only secrete an average of 18 grams. In contrast, women secrete almost 4,374 grams of neurophoton material."

Phoenix sighed. "Well, that makes complete sense.", he said.

Maya also agreed, "My mom never told me that!"

The doctor then departed. Phoenix realized that it would not be easy to find the culprit...


	2. The Worst Movie of All Time

October 7, 1:00 P.M. Movie Theater

Following Maya's release from the hospital, she took Phoenix to a movie, while Pearl was taken care of by Detective Gumshoe, who had arrived at the scene of the explosion as soon as he heard of the "Variola major incident" on the radio. She selected the ticket options. Phoenix expected that it would be related to a certain television show.

However, the ticket read: The Sights and Sounds of Earth. And according to the ticket, nobody else was in the theater. They also chose their food options. Both of them chose a medium popcorn and a 20 oz. Coca-Cola.

Phoenix waited as Maya began to dish up her popcorn with artificial butter and salt. They then walked into the theater.

Upon taking their seats in the top row, they found no other seats occupied. The movie began. It was a replay of the recordings taken into space by Voyager 1 and 2.

It was placed there so that if there was life in space, they could see and hear the sights and sounds if Earth. Unfortunately, there is no life in space, so the record was unnecessary.

The two began eating their popcorn. However, Maya was eating it much quicker that Phoenix was.

He asked, "What is with this fast eating?"

She answered, "I bet this is like a cereal box; it must have a prize inside!"

Her fingers worked diligently to get the popcorn into her mouth, then grab more.

It was roughly 3 minutes later when she had finished her popcorn completely. She wiped her fingers of the excess remains and saw that there was a piece of paper, which was stuck inside of a plastic wrapper. She opened it. The note read:

NOTICE: Recently, it has been discovered that there were traces of smallpox on the wreckage of an exploded rocket. This has found to be in error. The scanner was decades old and misidentified a common strain of bacteria, _Staphylococcus aureus,_ as _Variola major_, a strain of smallpox.

Maya threw the note on the floor and sighed, "Whew. We dodged a real bullet there."

The movie soon ended and the exited the theater. As Phoenix was walking back to his rental car, he found a note attached.

It read: "Hey pal, I've got good news. The smallpox scare was false and I took Pearl back to your office. She's waiting with me for your arrival."-Dick Gumshoe

Phoenix also let out a sigh and headed to the airport. They sat in the first class cabin and took the four hour flight back. They then headed back to the office.

October 7, 4:00 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix and Maya entered. They had a happy welcome from Pearl, who was especially worried.

After settling down, Phoenix said, "I've got to get something from my house."

Maya replied, "Well, see you afterwards."

He left the office. Maya also figured, "I should get in a walk for some exercise. I should check on Nick too."

Maya walked around the urban city of Los Angeles, surrounded by the massive amount of buildings and people. She coughed, as there was occasional smog. She checked by Phoenix's house and peeked through the windows. There was no person inside. She looked at the floor and caught a glimpse of a shadow.

She gasped and looked down. There was a man, who was lying face down on the sidewalk. She felt his wrist, but there was no pulse.

She sighed, "I bet I should ascertain who exactly this guy is, shouldn't I?"

Maya turned the body over. He saw a familiar face. There was spiky hair, red marks under his eyes, and blue irises. Maya immediately recognized the figure and shivered.

It was Phoenix, or so it appeared.

She ran inside. She sweated and panic set on.

She finally realized, "I can't believe that Phoenix Wright is...dead!"

She felt tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, she felt a tap on the shoulder.

A voice said, "Is there a reason to be on the floor in tears?"

Maya exclaimed, "Oh! Phoenix! You...are still living?"

He replied, "Well, is there a reason to be on the floor, sobbing your eyes out?"

She brought the body in. Phoenix looked at it and sighed. He tugged at the face, and a mask came off.

He said, "Well, we can see that this man was an obvious fan of mine; he was cosplaying in public."

He dug into his pocket. The container that pulled out was an over the counter medicine bottle.

"Coldkiller X, the tablets that assassinate the common cold in 3 days flat.", Maya read.

Phoenix put his nose up to the open bottle's pills. It smelled like a bitter almond odor.

He realized, "It smells...like cyanide."

Maya yelled, "Cyanide?! Was he trying to kill himself?"

The attorney continued, "Well, not exactly. It appears that somebody poisoned his pills to kill him. After all, only 20% of the population can smell the odor of cyanide."

Phoenix then realized, "The only place where cyanide was available in the area was from the Pharmacology Department, which is located at Ivy University; the same place where I went to college."

He felt a cold sensation. He knew that it would not be easy to clear the name of the accused...


	3. The Scientist-Detective

October 7, 4:30 P.M. Ivy University

Phoenix entered the campus and took in the sights (and smells) of the college where he used to attend. He immediately located the Pharmacology Department, which was the the right of the high-voltage electric cables.

They were protected by very thick insulating wires. There was now a sign that read:

WARNING: BROKEN ELECTRIC CABLES MAY CAUSE SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH.

Phoenix struggled to maneuver past the cables.

Maya then pointed out, "There is somebody in the building."

Phoenix shrugged and entered. There was a woman who was under a fume hood, and was stirring a compound.

He asked, "Have I seen you before?"

Phoenix just then realized that he said a silly question.

"Why, hello, Mr. Wright! What brings you here on this day?", she answered.

Maya jumped. She asked, "Who is this person?"

He replied, "Well, I worked with her about a year ago, when you were 'studying'. She is a forensics-obsessed girl named Ema Skye."

Ema snapped, "Hey, I'm not 'obsessed' with forensics! I am an expert at forensics and chemistry!"

She led them to a stockpile of supplies. There were chemicals marked under categories such as "pyrophoric", "alkali metals", and "toxic".Phoenix immediately located his choice of chemical.

The label stated:

Potassium Cyanide: 10 grams  
WARNING: INGESTION OR ABSORPTION OF CYANIDE CAN CAUSE SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH.

Phoenix took the jar and opened it. It reeked of bitter almond. Maya nodded her head.

She continued, "Well, looks like we found our toxin!"

They left the room and headed back into the lab, were Ema took her belongings and left for another place on campus.

Phoenix thought, "I hope we don't come across anybody else."

He looked across the room. There was another figure. Maya walked towards the person, hoping to find answers. Upon hearing footsteps, the figure, probably studying for a test, walked towards Phoenix. He shook violently inside, but tried to keep himself calm.

The person asked, "What are you two doing in the laboratory this late?"

Phoenix stuttered, "Well...you see...we were collecting evidence for a court case."

The person faced him. "A court case? Quite interesting. And in case you were wondering, my name is Lilly."

Phoenix asked, "Well, do you know of anybody who took cyanide from the lab?"

She remembered, "Well, I did notice Greg Sanders exiting the laboratory a few weeks ago with a small jar of material."

Phoenix sweated. He thought, "It looks like I have found my client."

Lilly then left, as she didn't find a reason to stay.

Maya looked at him. "Nick, I feel as if this woman isn't the culprit."

Phoenix, on the other hand, wasn't as convinced. "I bet she is 100% Guilty! There is no doubt!"

The two left for the law office, almost with some confirmation of who would have the gavel smashed down on them.

October 7, 5:00 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix found the autopsy papers on his desk. He picked them up and dived into the report.

"It appears that the victim died from blunt force trauma," he said. "The problem is this: what object was used to strike him?"

Maya jumped in surprise. "But Nick," she replied, "what about the cyanide in the bottle of Coldkiller X?"

He continued, "It appears also that he was slowly being poisoned by carbon monoxide, so it is likely that the killer attempted to poison him twice before finally killing him."

Maya groaned, "Nick, do you not realize that the situation is bleak? Court starts in an hour! We barely have enough evidence to stand trial!"

Phoenix calmed, "Not to worry. We have the cross-examination on our side."

To be continued...


	4. The Cough That Spreads

October 7, 6:00 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 4

The jury had a moment of chatter, and then the judge banged his gavel.

He said, "Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Greg Sanders."

Phoenix grumbled silently, "This better not be painful."

A familiar voice said, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

Phoenix replied, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

The judge continued, "Mr. Edgeworth, would you please give us a summary of the case?"

He replied, "Your Honor, if it may please the court, can I give the whole take instead of a meager summary?"

The request was accepted.

Miles began, "The victim's body was found earlier today on the sidewalk next to the residence of Phoenix Wright, the defense attorney to my right. The autopsy showed that the body had been struck with a blunt object. However, it appears that the victim was allegedly poisoned with carbon monoxide and potassium cyanide, but was killed because the defendant noticed that the victim hadn't died!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel.

He asked, "Who exactly is 'the victim'? Has he been identified?"

The prosecutor returned, "It appears that the victim is 68-year old Abe Spotts, who was a mathematics professor at Ivy University. What was even stranger was that on the day of the murder, he was cosplaying as Phoenix Wright!"

The jury burst out in amazement once more. The judge smashed his gavel.

"Order! Order in the court!", he yelled.

The judge continued, "Mr. Edgeworth, was exactly is 'cosplaying'?"

The reply was, "Cosplaying is when a person intentionally imitates a person, usually a fictitious character, by wearing clothing and altering their appearance to resemble that person."

The judge asked, "So that basically means that Professor Spotts was a fan of Mr. Wright?"

Miles followed, "Yes. Exactly. And with that, the prosecution calls Lilly Ian to the stand."

She stood on the stand and waited. Miles asked, "Since we have this thing called the 'scanner', we don't exactly need to ask about your name, age, or occupation."

The judge followed up with, "Please inform the court what you saw."

After it was completed, Phoenix began the cross-examination. Previous testimony was repeated.

"I work at the Pharmacology Dept. at Ivy University," she said.

"I often have to work with hazardous chemicals. I know that Greg had entered the lab about 3 days prior to the incident. I saw him roughly a day before, and I knew he was being poisoned!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

He continued, "What exactly made you believe that?"

She replied, "His skin was quite an odd color!"

The judge then piped in, "Well, add that to your testimony!"

The cross-examination continued.

"And when I saw that his skin was an orange shade, I knew he was being poisoned with carbon monoxide!"

That was when Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

He continued, "Are you so certain that carbon monoxide poisoning turns the skin orange?"

She replied, "Oh, yes. They said that to me when I was in chemistry!"

Phoenix slammed his hands on the desk. "Lilly, I sorry to say this," he announced, pointing his finger at her, "but carbon monoxide turns the skin a light red! If his skin was orange, he was experiencing jaundice!"

Lilly jumped and began sweating.

The judge nodded, "The defense has a good point. Is there any explanation for this?"

She struggled, "Another...testimony...please..."

The judge accepted. "Let's hear your testimony again," he stated.

After it was finished, the judge coughed, "Cross...examination!"

"You see," she brought forth, along with a great fit of coughing, "Professor Spotts had a summer job at a coal mine, which made anthracite."

She coughed violently again.

"And...I..."

She coughed ferociously again and fell to the floor.

The judge banged his gavel three times. "Order! Order in the court I say!", he screamed while coughing every few syllables.

Phoenix was stunned. The coughing was spreading like wildfire across the court. He looked over and saw Edgeworth vomiting into a trash can.

He thought, "What is going on here?"

He looked at Maya.

She struggled, "You better see this!"

She brought up the left sleeve of her kimono. It had bloody mucus on it.

Phoenix closed his eyes to protect himself from forcing his insides out right then and there. He turned away and looked at the judge. He was off of his panel and announcing to the court via intercom.

"Court is adjourned for the day due to a major medical emergency! I need all ambulances available in the Los Angeles area to arrive at the District Court immediately!"

The sirens wailed and the court doors opened. All of those inside, including the jury, rushed out in a massive herd towards fresher air. Phoenix carried Maya, who was too delirious to stand, onto the sidewalk next to the entrance. He called Detective Gumshoe over, who was attending to a court bailiff's aid.

Phoenix riled, "Do you have a pillow and a bed by chance?"

The reply was, "Here, pal. Take it."

A pile of debris rained down into his hands. He took the fold-up bed and sprung it out, and laid Maya on it, and placed the pillow under her head.

She said weakly, "I feel really dizzy, Nick..."

Phoenix interrupted, "It's OK, Maya! Everything's fine! We just need to wait for the ambulances to show up!"

There were flashing red and blue lights before long. The emergency workers loaded Maya into a helicopter, which had landed in a field a block away.

As the attorney left for his car, one of the EMTS told him, "Sir, you can come along for the ride if you want."

He instantly ran into the cabin and sat back in the seat behind Maya's stretcher. He felt a jolt as the helicopter rose into the air. The workers inside immediately started asking questions.

One man asked, "Are you allergic to any medications?"

Another added, "Do you have any serious medical conditions?"

One woman inquired, "What are your symptoms?"

Phoenix had finally had enough. He noted, "One at a time, one at a time! There is no rush!"

When they finally arrived at the hospital, he was also checked out. Unlike Maya, who had a multitude of symptoms, he had only a feeling of lethargy and confusion.

The doctor instructed him, "Lay down for a little bit. You'll feel better soon."

Phoenix felt some shakiness in the doctor's voice. He felt that something was seriously wrong with both him and Maya.


	5. They Call It Laughing Gas For a Reason

October 7, 6:41 P.M. Intensive Care Unit

Phoenix turned his television to CNN. The announcer began as usual.

"Good evening, America, or as we say it down here, 'Merica! We have quite the news tonight!"

Phoenix shuddered. He knew that something was up.

"For starters, in Los Angeles, there was a mysterious event in the District Court that caused nearly 30 people to have severe coughing and other various symptoms. Here is Billy Bob Jones with more information."

Phoenix sweated as the reporter took the news.

"Well, as we can see," he continued, "Even the mighty Phoenix Wright came down with the ailments. In fact, on the way here, I came across some people who asked if some guy named 'Ryūichi Naruhodō' was all right."

The attorney turned off the television. It was too much to bear. He took a glimpse over to the left, where Maya had been sleeping. He just couldn't stop staring at her comatose body. He was just too concerned for her safety. After all, he was basically her boyfriend.

He thought, "Soft, blue eyes...when will you open again?"

He then bet that his life was replicating the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, as there was a really cute girl next to him...it was just that she may never wake from her slumber.

He put the protective shrouds around his bed and put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the outside.

He thought in his head, "Why does Maya always have to be the target for somebody's relentless abuse?"

He felt his eyes water and tears slip down his face and frustration and despair.

Later on he wiped his face and crept out of his curtain prison. He approached Maya's bed, and checked her heart rate, just to make sure she hadn't died earlier.

It showed that her heart was beating at 75 beats per minute, which was healthy. Phoenix felt a sensation of worry. He wanted a Maya who would eat burgers, watch _The Steel Samurai_, and love him, not one who is sedated and is lying motionless on a hospital bed.

In desperation, he prompted, "Maya, if you can hear me, please wake up...please!"

He heard the doctor say, "Mr. Wright, she can't hear you."

He whipped his body around and sniffed, Why not? Is...is she...dead?"

The doctor replied, "No, of course not. She is in a medically induced coma. She is breathing in a mixture of 70% oxygen, 30% nitrous oxide."

He told him, "Cut the nitrous. I want to make sure she is really alive."

The doctor laughed and replied, "My, oh, my! You are quite the man, Mr. Wright! Just because she is on anesthesia doesn't mean that she is dead! Her heart is still beating, isn't it?"

Phoenix insisted, "Give her pure oxygen! She isn't in any pain!"

However, the reply was, "Let's be safe and keep her from being alert, which may worsen illness."

Phoenix hollered, "Just remove the nitrous, dammit! I'm tired of you telling me that 'Maya needs nitrous' for a nonsensical reason! She isn't in pain whatsoever! No more laughing gas!"

There was a moment of silence. Phoenix then asked, "Doctor, do you have a wife?"

The old man replied, "Yep."

Phoenix continued, "Well, what if she came down with a life threatening illness and was put under, even though it was unnecessary? Would you feel the same way?"

The words that came out were, "Yes. Exactly."

Phoenix prodded, "Well, remove the nitrous then!"

The doctor shyly said, "Sure."

He disconnected the anesthesia supply hose and walked away. Phoenix felt sure that she would wake up shortly. She just needed to metabolize the stuff that had been being pumped in for the past half hour.

15 minutes later, Maya began making gagging noises.

Phoenix yelled, "Doctor! Remove her breathing tube!"

Hesitantly, the piping came out. In order to avoid embarrassing himself, the doctor ran off.

She asked, "Nick, what did I miss?"

Phoenix replied, "Well, we found that you are alive and well. However, we have still to find out what made you, myself, and everybody else sick."

The intercom then alerted, "Would Mr. Phoenix Wright please report to the filtering room?"

Phoenix immediately ran towards the testing facilities. The displays were lit up by a backlight, and many doctors were examining it.

One man said, "Mr. Wright, we have found the source of the illnesses; it is caused by sarin."

Phoenix jumped, "Sarin? You mean, what killed people on that subway in Tokyo?"

The man replied, "Yes. It was likely done by someone who had a problem with the District Court."

He left and went back to where Maya was. She made eye contact with him and smiled.

Phoenix just couldn't stop looking at Maya's eyes. He was simply obsessed with them. After all, the chances of coming across a girl with light blue eyes was quite rare.

In addition, he just needed to get away from the all-to-familiar hospital. But for the time being, he would stay put and recover.


	6. Leaves

October 7, 7:45 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix and Maya arrived back at the office after recovering. As they entered, they found a paper lying on the floor.

It read: The Origin Of The Fey Clan.

Maya picked it up and flipped it over. It had a large amount of writing on it.

"Dear Maya," she read, "It seems that the doctor's chemotherapy treatments have allowed me to live a slightly longer time that I want to. So, as I sit on by death bed, waiting for my heart to cease functioning, I will tell you a secret that almost nobody nows: how the Fey clan came into existence. Anyways, here it goes.

In 1697, Ami Fey was born in what is now Kyoto, Japan. She was the daughter of Gabriel and Martha Fey. One of the strangest aspects about the Fey family was they weren't Japanese to begin with. They were of European descent; to be exact, they were from Britain, but had roots leading back to Germany, Scotland, and Austria.

In 1705, she and her family moved to the colony of Virginia. Later on, in 1725, she moved into Spanish territory and built a refuge with a 50 mile span. Its name was Kurain Village. It was like a piece of Japan in the Americas. Five years later, during a trip in Georgia, she met John Avery, who would later become her husband.

However, she refused to change her maiden name, so John assumed hers. Later on, after she died in 1825, John married another woman, who was actually the daughter-in-law of Ami's son. She had the channeling ability of Ami, but was weaker at the skill. This is how the so-called 'branch family' was formed.

After some time, Misty Fey was born in 1960. She later married me. I happen to have the same last name as her. You and Mia were later born. You are part of the 'main family'; you are a direct descendant of Ami Fey.

Meanwhile, your uncle, Keith Escobar Jr, married Morgan Fey. In respect, he assumed 'Fey' as his last name. However, almost 7 months before they were wed, Pearl was born. She is an illegitimate child; in other words, she isn't 'legit' because she was born outside of marriage. What was even worse was that a short time later, he left Morgan and was killed in a car accident.

I feel as if Pearl must feel as if you and your 'special someone' are very important to her. And now, I close off with a final quote.

"This is The End...this is The End, my friend."

Maya took the paper and stored it in a filing cabinet. She felt a warmth, as well as a cold feeling. She took out a picture of her father. He had thick sunglasses and somewhat resembled Winston Payne.

Phoenix went up to her and asked, "Are you sad?"

Maya replied, "Well, sort of. Nick, I feel sad for my father's death, but I feel confident for our future."

Phoenix continued, "Pearl thinks that we are 'together' because she grew up around so many unsuccessful marriages."

However, Maya put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Nick, we are together. I love you, and I hope you love me too. If we marry someday, we have to stay together."

The attorney smiled and picked Maya up in his arms. He carried her to the couch, and they began to watch the news. After it had ended, he woke Maya up, who was sleeping on the other side of the piece of furniture.

He said, "Good night, Maya."

She responded, "Nick, I love you."

She kissed him and passed out. Phoenix staggered over to the other side of the couch and collapsed in relief.


	7. Titin

October 8, 10:00 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 4

The jury began speaking. After a moment, the judge banged his gavel.

He said, "Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Greg Sanders."

Miles Edgeworth blurted, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

Phoenix took a glare at his eyes. He looked serious. He answered, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

The judge looked at Miles and inquired, "Mr. Edgeworth, do you have a witness to call?"

He focused and announced, "The prosecution calls Derek Tyvii to the stand!"

Then, a man with red hair mounted the platform. He said, "It's a charm to be here today, mounting the witness stand in the District Court! I remember the days of when I was seated in the prosecution's bench."

The judge banged his gavel. He confirmed, "Mr. Tyvii, please deliver the fresh, hot testimony to the court."

It was soon finished and Phoenix closed in on the testimony given. "Well, as you can see," the witness dotted, "I was on the sidewalk, walking by Professor Spotts when he staggered for a few yards and passed out! There was a massive bruise on the back of his head!"

Phoenix, however, wasn't agreeing. He screamed, "Objection!"

Phoenix pointed his finger and asked, "Are you certain that there was a bruise on the back of his head?"

Derek replied, "Oh, yes! It was an ugly blackish mark!"

The attorney shook his head and noted, "Mr. Tyvii, such a bruise would not have appeared for a few hours! It seems that no bruise was there!"

The former prosecutor launched himself into the air and began sweating. The judge asked, "Would you care to give your testimony again, Mr. Tyvii?"

Phoenix soon began the second cross-examination. Mr. Tyvii began, "Well, there was a mark on the back of his head, and it seemed likely that he had been hit, or more likely poisoned by cyanide!"

Phoenix pointed out his finger and screamed, "Objection!"  
"Mr. Tyvii," the attorney said, "If he had a dark mark, than he would have been poisoned by methinoylglutaminyl...serine!"

Mr. Tyvii jumped in amazement. The judge nodded, "My, that was a long word!"

Derek then snapped. "How did you pronounce that, attorney!"

Phoenix ordered, "Just answer the question, Tyvii! Did you poison Prof. Spotts with methionylglutaminyl...serine?"

He screamed, "No, I did not! Why would I do that?"

Phoenix ordered, "You hated him because he crushed your mathematics career! So you had to study chemicals, and poisoned him while he was cosplaying as me, so my client might get framed!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Would the witness care to elaborate?", he ordered.

Derek passed out and began mumbling to himself, "Methionylglutaminylarginylty rosylglutamylserylleucylphen ylalanylalanylglutaminylleuc yllysylglutamylarginyllysylg lutamylglycylalanylphenylala nylvalylprolylphenylalanylva lylthreonylleucylglycylaspar tylprolylglycylisoleucylglut amylglutaminylserylleucyllys ylisoleucylaspartylthreonyll eucylisoleucylglutamylalanyl glycylalanylaspartylalanylle ucylglutamylleucylglycylisol eucylprolylphenylalanylseryl aspartylprolylleucylalanylas partylglycylprolylthreonylis oleucylglutaminylasparaginyl alanylthreonylleucylarginyla lanylphenylalanylalanylalany lglycylvalylthreonylprolylal anylglutaminylcysteinylpheny lalanylglutamylmethionylleuc ylalanylleucylisoleucylargin ylglutaminyllysylhistidylpro lylthreonylisoleucylprolylis oleucylglycylleucylleucylmet hionyltyrosylalanylasparagin ylleucylvalylphenylalanylasp araginyllysylglycylisoleucyl aspartylglutamylphenylalanyl tyrosylalanylglutaminylcyste inylglutamyllysylvalylglycyl valylaspartylserylvalylleucy lalylalanylaspartylvalylpro lylvalylglutaminylglutamylse rylalanylprolylphenylalanyla rginylglutaminylalanylalanyl leucylarginylhistidylasparag inylvalylalanylprolylisoleuc ylphenylalanylisoleucylcyste inylprolylprolylaspartylalan ylaspartylaspartylaspartylle ucylleucylarginylglutaminyli soleucylalanylseryltyrosylgl ycylarginylglycyltyrosylthre onyltyrosylleucylleucylseryl arginylalanylglycylvalylthre onylglycylalanylglutamylaspa raginylarginylalanylalanylle ucylprolylleucylasparaginylh istidylleucylvalylalanyllysy lleucyllysylglutamyltyrosyla sparaginylalanylalanylprolyl prolylleucylglutaminylglycyl phenylalanylglycylisoleucyls erylalanylprolylaspartylglut aminylvalyllysylalanylalanyl isoleucylaspartylalanylglycy lalanylalanylglycylalanyliso leucylserylglycylserylalanyl isoleucylvalyllysylisoleucyl isoleucylglutamylglutaminylh istidylasparaginylisoleucylg lutamylprolylglutamyllysylme thionylleucylalanylalanylleu cyllysylvalylphenylalanylval ylglutaminylprolylmethionyll ysylalanylalanylthreonylargi nylserine."


	8. Deck The Halls With D's and F's

October 8, 10:41 A.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix opened the door and walked inside. Immediately, Maya dashed over to the calendar and began counting.

After a brief moment of concentration, she announced, "It is only 77 days until Christmas, Nick!"

Phoenix scoffed and replied, "I don't think that you should be saying that when there are 77 days until Christmas. Maybe 30 days or so, but not 77!"

She then realized, "Well, it seems to make sense. After all, I have the mistletoe ready!"

She pulled out a piece of the revered plant and wagged it in front Phoenix's nose.

She bragged, "Oh, and I bet that you will absolutely love it!" She put it away, and the attorney relaxed.

Phoenix began thinking, "We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year?"

Maya interrupted his thoughts. "Nick," she said, "I had a science teacher who would recite a song when we were approaching the holidays. It sort of went like this."

She took a deep breath and sang, Deck the halls with D's and F's! Fa la la la la la la la la! You're not gonna pass that test! Fa la la la la la la la la! You're not gonna get anything for Christmas! Fa la la la la la la la la! This year it looks like you're out of luck! Fa la la la la la la la la!"

Phoenix laughed hysterically at the tone of voice that she was using, imitating a science teacher who was fed up with bad grades.

When she was finished, she announced, "Well, hopefully nothing bad will happen this Christmas."

Phoenix also said, "I hope so as well."

Suddenly, Pearl rushed in the doors.

She asked, "Mr. Nick, is Mystic Maya all right?"

Phoenix replied, "Of course! Otherwise, she wouldn't be standing here!"

THE END


End file.
